Electrical therapeutic jacket



Jan; 20, 1959 D. G. CHANDLER ELECTRICAL THERAPEUTIC JACKET Filed Jan. 28, 1957 FIG. 2

- INVENTOR. DOUGLAS 3. CHANDLER L MCTW ATTORNEY lllnllllll' I. llll lllllll I'll-Ill.

lllllll l|| lllllllllllt FIGS ELECTRICAL THERAPEUTIC JACKET Douglas G. Chandler, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Application January 28, 1957, Serial No. 636,602

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-379) This invention relates to a heating appliance and,

more particularly to an electrical therapeutic jacket for use of those afflicted with spinal column injuries or various other physical conditions which may be benefited by treatment with heat.

This present application is an improvement over my co pending application for Electrical Therapeutic Jacket, Ser. No. 575,458 filed April 2, 1956, and now abandoned.

An important general object of the present invention is to provide an improved heating appliance for that portion of the back of an individual, directly over the spinal column, which may be produced with a minimum of production cost.

More specifically, the invention has for an object to provide a device as characterized which comprises a flexible pad-like body portion for overlying the spinal area of the human torso and immediately adjacent back torso areas on each side thereof, and which pad provides a removable spinal area overlying heating element and a pocket therefor, there being torso-encircling tie means which cooperates with the side marginal contour of the pad to assure firm contact of the nether surface of the heating element-receiving pocket with the spinal torso area.

These and other objects and novel features will be more fully understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred showings in the drawings of the invention selected for purposes of illustration, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a front or back elevational view of the jacket in which a heat unit has been incorporated in the spinal column area;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view partially in elevation indicated by the numeral 22 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an isometric view of the heater element removed from the jacket The jacket is preferably made of a suitable fabric, composed of two duplicate casings 10 to which straps 11, 12, and 13 are attached byany suitable means, such as stitching, this double casing is stitched together around the edges as indicated at 14. The central part of the jacket is provided with a pocket 15, which is formed by the stitching 16, and into which the heater element 17 is slid down from the top opening. This opening is defined by flap extensions 18 of the narrowed neck portion 18a of the pad directly above the heater element 17, said flaps 18 defining the upper end of the heater element pocket 15, as indicated. After the heater element is inserted, the

top of which is indicated at 19, these closure providing United States Patent "ice flaps 18 are closed by snap fasteners 20. The heater unit electrical cord 21 is passed out from between the two plies 10 through breaks of the stitchings of 14 and 16 at such points as are convenient.

While the casing outline or shape is similar to my aforementioned application, it is not necessarily so shaped and may be of different outline.

As will be understood, important features of the present invention are the pocket 15, and the neck extension portion 18a and the extension flaps 18 with fasteners 20 that retain in place the pocketed rectangular heater unit 17, which latter is very narrow in width as compared with its length.

This heater unit 17, in which heater wires 22 are imbedded in vulcanized rubber, is approximately one quarter of an inch thick and is easily slid into the pocket 15 and enclosed there by the neck portion flap extensions 18 after the latter have been secured together by means of snap fasteners 20.

It has been found that it is important to position the top of the heater over the spinal column so that it will overlie the base of the skull or neck portion which is slightly above the shoulders and varies somewhat according to the wearers dimensions.

It is important to note that the heating element 17, as described, is stiff although having some flexibility. Thus, pad 10, 10 will not tend to transversely wrinkle and thus shorten longitudinally in service. Also to be noted is the fact that the straps 12 are Y-form and provide branches 12a which are secured to the upper and lower tabs 25 at opposite margins of the upper back overlying portion 26 of the pad 10, 10. These tabs 25 are provided by the arm portion-receiving side cutouts 26 and the strap branches 12a cooperate to provide arm-receiving holes 27. This arrangement prevents longitudinal shifting of the pad 10, 10 particularly at the neck and upper back overlying regions thereof.

While I have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is intended that various changes and modifications may be resorted to in keeping within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A therapeutic jacket-like appliance for supplyin heat treatment to the spinal column areas of humans from the base of the skull downward while maintaininr firm contact therewith, said appliance comprising in com bination a pad formed by opposed and substantially duplicate plies of flexible material of a length to overlie at least the major portion of the spinal column from the base of the skull downward, means securing said plies together while leaving a central and substantially longitudinally coextensive spinal area-overlying pocket therebetween of at least spinal column width, said pocket being closedat its lower end and providing a top opening, closure means for the top pocket opening, an electrical heating element removably positionable in said pocket and comprising a relatively stiff plate-form body, the length and width of said heating element approximating corresponding pocket dimensions, said pad providing at its upper end a narrowed rear neck area-overlying portion, a wider upper back area-overlying portion and subjacent mid and lower back area-overlying portions, said upper back area-overlying portion providing opposite arm Patented Jan. 20, 1959 receiving" side recesses adjacent the neck area, said recessesterminating'in upper and lower tabs, connectabletabs, and fasteners carried thereby.

meanscomprisingopposite pocket wall'carried extension- 3. The structure of claim 1, and stitching securing said plies together and including pocket side'and bottom defining stitching, and said pocket closure means comprising opposite pocket wall carried extension tabs, and fasteners 5 carried thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 2,579,383 Goudsmit Dec. 18, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 821,150 France Aug. 17, 1937 

